The Pick Up
by kurtswish
Summary: Anon Prompted: Can you maybe write an au where blaine gets in the car with rachel instead if with cooper because they have the same car? Like cooper would pick him up at the airport and same for rachel with kurt but then blaine gets in with rachel and rachel keeps talking to him hoping that kurt will come so they can meet because she already ships them.


Rachel checked her watch again. If she didn't know better she would have sworn that it had stopped working. The second hand ticked on though, bringing her best friend ever closer to her. Kurt plane was set to land in just five minutes.

After a year of not seeing each other, only catching up with short Skype chats, phone calls and texts in the sparse time their schedules' allowed, Kurt was finally visiting LA. For three whole weeks, she would get to spend as much time with her bestie as she could muster. She wanted nothing more in that moment to rush into the airport and hug her friend the moment he stepped off the plane. She knew it wasn't possible though; after the airing of her pilot it became harder for her just to _be_ in LA. The paparazzi were notorious for camping out at LAX trying to catch celebs who only wanted a little privacy and she didn't want their first moments to be captured and analyzed all over the internet. Instead she had her agent arrange a car for her and send along the information to Kurt. Now all she had to do was wait.

Rachel was almost bouncing out of her skin ten minutes later when the back door swung open. Her squeal caught in her throat though when instead of Kurt a dark haired young man slid into the seat beside her saying, " I swear Coop, I could have just gotten a cab to your house, it's not like they would have known who it belonged to." The young man looked up finally and Rachel couldn't help but notice how lovely his hazel eyes were as they widened in shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you Cooper's new assistant, Grace right?" He asked

"Um, no…" Rachel said as her eyes roved over the handsome young man. Then they fell on the rainbow pin adorning the lapel of his light jacket. "I'm Rachel," she introduced herself, suddenly wanting this stranger to stay around more than ever.

"Did Cooper get another new assistant already?" he asked, and his eyes crinkled with mirth. He had a smile anyone could fall for, even the king of all picky men, Kurt Hummel.

She ignored the question and just hoped she could distract him long enough for Kurt to arrive. "I'm Rachel Berry, by the way," she said hoping he would introduce himself even though she was pretty sure he thought she knew who he was.

He didn't disappoint, "Oh I am so sorry, where are my manners, Blaine Anderson." He said holding out his hand for her to shake. Rachel put another check on her mental checklist for him. Handsome- check. Great smile-check. Nicely dressed-check. Out and proud-check (he was wearing a rainbow pin after all. And great manners-check. In just the short minute they had spent together he was already doing well on his 'perfect for Kurt' score card.

"Um… shouldn't we be going?" He asked glancing up to the front. The driver had already loaded his suitcases and was just waiting for a word from Rachel to head out.

"No!" Rachel exclaimed she needed more time. Blaine just looked at her puzzled and she scrambled for ideas, all the while cursing herself for dropping out of NYADA _before _taking an improve class. "We have to wait a few minutes," she added as she tried to think of any plausible explanation for why they had to wait.

"Okay," Blaine said slowly. He looked at her another moment. "Can I ask why?"

"Well…" Rachel began hoping Kurt would save her, she he still didn't show she said the first thing that came to her mind, "The schedule!"

"The schedule?" Blaine asked and Rachel gave him another point for being patient.

"Yes, the schedule. You see, if we leave now, we will… we will arrive too early and ruin the surprise." Rachel said checking her watch. Kurt's plane had landed nearly fifteen minutes ago, surely he would be here soon.

"I'm sorry, but what surprise?"

Rachel rolled her eyes playfully, "Well if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise would it?"

"So we can't leave now, because I would ruin the surprise for myself?" Blaine asked. Rachel marveled that he was taking the crazy explanation so well.

"Yes?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "So even though my plane was on time, we have to wait to go anyway?"

Rachel had to think for a minute, she wished she could just ask him some questions and find out more from him, but knew she couldn't without revealing her deception. Instead she said, "Well, planes are notoriously late at LAX, so we… built in so extra time when we were planning."

Rachel crossed her fingers, hoping again he would buy it. She was dismayed when his brow furrowed.

"I don't understand why Cooper would plan a surprise for me, I mean it's his movie premièring and. No offense, but he is not usually one to share the spot light especially with his little brother."

It hit her then, Cooper Anderson! This man sitting beside her was none other than _the _Cooper Anderson's kid brother. Now that she knew, she could see the resemblance between the two and this weekend was the premier of his much awaited first film. Rachel was planning on attending and the hype surrounding his portrayal of Nightwing in the new Batman movie was hard to miss.

Blaine was still looking at her a little apprehensively; she knew she had to fix this lest he run off before Kurt could make it to the car. Where was he anyway?

"Okay, you're right, you are absolutely right," she said, drawing the words out more than would be natural for anyone, but trying to buy some time as she racked her brains for anything that would help. "_Normally_, he wouldn't want to share any of his glory… but you have been so supportive and… understanding of everything… he just wanted to do something special for you."

Blaine huffed a little, and Rachel was glad to see that he didn't seem to be someone who would just let anyone walk all over them, although at this moment in time she could have done with a little more patience from him. "But I have hardly spoken to him since he called to tell me he landed the role. Between his shooting schedule and my school schedule… we only talked for like five minutes at Christmas before his email inviting me to his premier."

Rachel decided to latch on to the subject as it was offered, "Oh, school? What are you studying?"

"Musical Theatre… see, you work with him, I bet you don't even know anything about me, besides my name, and probably only that because you were picking me up… speaking of which, can we go now?"

"You sing too? That is perfect!" Rachel yelled before she could catch herself.

She could see that Blaine was losing what little patience he had left, but surely Kurt would be here before too much longer. "Sing for me," she blurted hoping like any self-respecting performer he would take the bait. She would if she were in his shoes after all.

"I really don't think…" He began before the door was once again pulled open.

Kurt stood there peering into the town car and his eyes widened in shock. Rachel hoped that it was due to the sight of the absolutely perfect for him man sitting in his seat. "Rachel… what are you doing?"

"I was just talking to my new friend Blaine here." Rachel smiled at him, silently sending him the message, 'look at him, isn't he perfect for you.' "Kurt Hummel, this is Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my dear, dear friend Kurt Hummel."

"Rachel…" Kurt said in that warning tone that she secretly hated. "What did you do?"

Blaine looked between the two of them, and Rachel wished she could properly see his face to know what he thought about Kurt.

"I was just… I mean he got in the car and…" Rachel wasn't sure, now that the time had come, _how_ to explain it all.

"Did you kidnap him?" Kurt asked a note of hysteria in his voice.

Before Rachel could answer though a deep chuckle sounded in the car, both Rachel and Kurt looked over at Blaine. His eyes crinkled in that way they had when she first saw him, his eyes seemed to dance with mirth and his smile was so beautiful, Rachel just wanted to shake Kurt and yell, 'just look at him.'

"Oh my God!" Blaine said after a moment, "This isn't the right car is it? I have just made a huge ass out of myself haven't I?"

"It's nothing you should worry about." Kurt said shooting Rachel a look that she just didn't understand, didn't Kurt know what she was doing for him. "I'm sure Rachel had plenty of time to correct the problem… I saw you on my flight from New York didn't I?"

Blaine nodded still smiling at Kurt and Rachel did an internal happy dance at the news they lived close to each other. She hadn't thought what it would mean for her matchmaking record if they lived across the country from each other."

"I know you," Blaine said surprising Rachel further, "I mean, I obviously don't know know you, but I have seen you before. You go to NYADA too, right?"

"Why yes" Kurt said, looking oddly pleased.

"I saw you perform at the Winter Showcase this year. You were absolutely breathtaking." Blaine said, and Rachel held her hand to her heart when his cheeks flushed as he spoke.

"Oh… um… Thank you." Kurt stammered a blush coloring his cheeks as well.

"I should… I should find my car now I guess." Blaine said after a moment. Kurt stood back, letting him exit the car.

"Here, let me help you get your bags." Kurt said moving to the trunk and Blaine shut the door.

As Rachel watched them through the back glass, she couldn't hear what they were saying. They stood talking together even after Kurt's bags were exchanged for Blaine's in the trunk. When they traded phones, obviously entering their numbers, Rachel didn't hold herself back from doing a happy dance right there in the back seat of the car. Now no one could deny her superior match making abilities. Maybe, she thought, in a few years she could use this in her best woman speech, how it was all thanks to her that the two had met.


End file.
